The Centre has reduced the booking interval for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) refills from 45 days to 25 days, the Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Suresh Gopi, said on Monday. The revised 25-day booking gap will apply uniformly to domestic consumers in urban and rural areas with immediate effect. The minister shared a copy of the Petroleum Ministry letter setting out the change on his social media page.

The ministry letter recalled that, during the outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East in February 2026, timelines had been prescribed as a temporary demand management measure, with a 25-day interval in urban areas and a 45-day interval in rural areas. It said the refill booking interval had been revised then amid pressure on LPG supplies following the conflict. The new direction replaces the earlier, differential intervals.

In explaining the reversal to a uniform 25-day gap, the ministry said the present supply position and a considerable reduction in refill backlogs compared with the situation at the time of the demand-management measures justified the change. The ministry directed state-run oil marketing companies Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited to implement the uniform inter-refill booking interval. The instruction was issued with the approval of the competent authority.

OMCs were advised to take necessary action for implementation of the revised inter-refill booking interval with immediate effect so that distribution and booking systems reflect the change promptly. The announcement follows earlier government moves to set maximum LPG production targets for 24 refinery and upstream oil companies in an effort to bolster domestic cooking-gas supplies and enhance resilience against potential supply disruptions.

Those production targets were set with a combined production capacity of 63.81 thousand metric tonne (t) per day (KTPD), the ministry noted, as part of measures intended to strengthen supply chains. The revised booking interval is intended to reduce backlogs and normalise distribution for all domestic consumers while OMCs adjust operationally to the new timetable, and consumers are advised to consult their suppliers and digital booking portals for details on booking eligibility and schedule.